


Location! Location! Location!

by Jbee



Series: Gates of Askr: Year One [18]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:56:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24298465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jbee/pseuds/Jbee
Summary: Kiran is moving up in the world and just bought her first home in Askr, but there's a catch that Anna hasn't made quite so clear before the final sale.
Relationships: Lay | Ranulf/Summoner | Eclat | Kiran
Series: Gates of Askr: Year One [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703545
Kudos: 7





	Location! Location! Location!

**Author's Note:**

> This series is a collection of short stories driven by the FEH Subreddit Weekly Writing Prompts. First published April 27, 2020. "The Summoner if offered their own house in the city...if they only agree to a generous loan from Anna, that is!"

“Just hire Sothe. He’s good at his job.” Ranulf lazily told her, stretching his arms up and over his head as they walked down the busy cobble stone street. Askran citizens were rushing this way and that way, getting off work, and others making dinner plans.

“No way, and you’re being bias,” Kiran told him. She felt like finding a hero for this position was dragging on too long. “I can’t pick people just because you know them from your world.” She stopped at the corner to read the street sign. “It’s not fair to the others.” She muttered, more focused on making sure they were walking in the right direction.

“Okay. How about Jacob, and Felicia? Or even Kagero?” Ranulf suggested, leaning against the sign post.

Kiran folded up the small parchment map of Askr’s city center. “Trust issues, clumsy, and… no pants.” She listed off the reasons why she didn’t want to hire them, she knew she was being petty, but she was determined to make the right choice for her team.

Ranulf shrugged and followed Kiran down a quiet side street, “Fine, then ask Soren for advice.”

“I already did.” Kiran told him.

“And?” Ranulf asked her, smirking in a way that hinted he already knew the answer to his question.

She looked away, avoiding eye contact with him, “He said…” she let out a sigh, _“Just hire Sothe_ ”…” Kiran quietly mumbled.

It had been a long day, and Kiran was hardly able to sleep the night before, she was too excited with anticipation. Today was the day she had planned to meet Anna to take possession of her new home. A cute townhouse on the canal near Askr’s city centre. When Anna showed her the painting Kiran had fallen in love with the place, she had always dreamed of living somewhere nice in the city, but never thought it was possible with what she had earned. When Anna told her the asking price Kiran almost fell over. She had enough in her savings to buy the place, her dream was coming true, but Anna told her she had already a few buyers lined up, so Kiran had to act fast and bought the property right then and there.

“Anyways, I can’t wait to see this place! Anna said that many of the neighbors are quite well-off.” Kiran told him, changing the subject. “And it’s in walking distance of the castle, downtown and my favorite bakery is around the corner!” she said, guiding them down the winding picturesque street.

All of the houses were well kept with small manicured yards. She could see the water gently flowing in the canal behind houses as it split at the top of the lane so both sides of the street could enjoy the scenery. Flower gardens filled the empty space with splashes of colours, it was like a small park oasis that had been carved out of the cold stone walls and the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city district.

Kiran stopped in front of a tall townhouse with a white picket fence and light green trim. Butterflies fluttered in the garden as the sun shined down illuminating the beauty of the home. “Here we are, 1606 Fljót Lane! A century home with two bedrooms, two bath, complete kitchen, den and riverside deck!” she proudly recited the features. “Wow. It’s like out of a fairytale!” She let out a soft dreamy sigh, it was everything she ever wanted.

Tugging lightly on Kiran’s coat sleeve, and pulling her out of her daydream, “Ahh, that’s not 1606 Fljót.” Ranulf told her. “I think you want that one…” he said nodding to a home that was just adjacent.

The clouds drifted in, blocking the sun and casting shadows on the townhouse that Ranulf was referring to. He brushed away weeds on the stone marker that clearly stated the house number. He was right. A lump formed in Kiran’s throat and she lightly gasped at what she was looking at as she slowly walked towards the property. The home hidden from street view, blocked behind a tangle of thorny bushes. The house was built from a patchwork of coloured stone and exposed wood. The overgrown garden full of weeds spilling over and engulfing the cracked stone path leading to the front door.

“What!? No, no, no. that’s not the one in the picture!” Kiran cried out, as she pushed the rusted gate open and entered the small front yard. The gate made a horrible screeching sound as the stiff metal rubbed against its self. She walked up to the front door, and rubbed the dirt off the narrow window beside it with the back of her coat sleeve to peer in. “There’s holes in the walls, and trash everywhere. I doubt there is even running water, and, oh look, rat droppings…”

Quickly jumping back onto the craggy stone path and out of the tall weeds, “R-rats...?” Ranulf stammered, turning pale.

“There you are!” The iron hinges wailed again as Anna entered the yard, holding a ledger under her arm. “Isn’t it lovely!?” She beamed, walking over to join them. “Your very first home, Kiran, you’re a true Askran now!”

Kiran’s face flushed with anger when she turned to see the peppy red headed commander walking up the small overgrown path. “Anna! You said there would be a few renovations but this…” she trailed off, looking disappointingly at her surroundings, “this place is barely standing up!” she angrily said.

Anna tucked a few red fly away hairs behind her ear, as her friendly disposition faded. “Well, it’s not my fault that you were in such a rush to buy, that you didn’t read the fine print at the bottom of the sales contract. If you did you would have known the picture is only how I _envisioned_ the home, after it has had few renovations.” She told Kiran smugly, with a crafty smile “You bought the bones, Kiran, now you have to buy the dream!” she enthusiastically exclaimed, guiding her out stretched hand across the skies in a slow stroke.

Looking at the small painting Anna had given her when she had made the sale, Kiran tried to compose herself. _I should have known this was too good to be true,_ she thought. “Fine. How many renovations are you thinking of?” she asked, accepting her fate.

“Oh, not that many. Just the upstairs, downstairs, and outside.” Anna greedily smiled, “I have a team of contractors on standby. They can have your dream home done and ready by the end of spring for, let’s say…” she said, as she started writing down a number on a small piece of parchment and giving it to Kiran.

Kiran felt like all the air had been kicked out of her as she looked at the cost of the renovations. “I… I can’t afford this Anna. I mean. Not all of it at once.”

“Oh? Well I would like to think I’m a fair business woman, as well as your commander,” Anna said, with a wink. “and since you are the summoner, I will make you a deal.” She opened her ledger and pulled out a form raising it for them to read. “I can issue a loan for the expenses from my very own pocket, or what I like to call, _Commander Anna’s Short-term Handouts_ , or C.A.S.H. for short!” she explained putting the form back on the ledger and began filling it out. “We can start with this amount up-front and then move to these payments on a monthly basis, for, well let’s see,” she tapped the pencil to her lip and looked up as she completed the calculations in her head. “about 10 years!” she announced, smiling ear to ear and handing the form to the blindsided summoner.

Trying to hold back tears, Kiran stared at the form. _Locked into a ten-year loan,_ she thought, _how can this be happening?_ She folded up the piece of parchment, she didn’t want to look at it anymore. “Can you give me a moment to think about it?” She quietly asked, as if there was anything to think about. She either agreed to what Anna was offering, or spend her days stuck owning this crap shack.

“Of course! I will let you get your affairs in order and meet you back at the castle.” Anna smiled and tilted her head. “Then we can proceed with the paperwork!”

Kiran grimaced when she heard the gate screeching as Anna left the small front yard. She sat down on the small crumbling stone stoop, cradling her forehead with her hand. “What am I going to do?” she shook her head and was beginning to panic, the weight of the situation starting to sink in. “I mean, if I go through with this, that’s my whole stipend a month.” She confided in Ranulf who had been busy peeking in the grimy windows.

“Well, what if you had a roommate?” Ranulf asked her, joining her at the stoop and rubbing the dirt off his hands. “You could get the renovations done and then rent the other room out to someone, which would help cover half the monthly payments.” He explained, sitting down beside her and leaning back on his elbows, stretching out his legs.

“A roommate?” Kiran wondered, lifting her head up, she didn’t think of that. She had been on her own for so long, “That could work…”

“ _annnd_ what if this roommate could take on some of the renovations?” Ranulf smirked, his jeweled colored eyes gleaming, “You know, to bring the overall cost of the loan down.” He shrugged, picking at the crumbling stone they sat on.

Kiran snorted, “Yeah, right!” she laughed. “Where the heck am I going to find someone like that?”

The up turned corners of his smile dropped and Ranulf tossed one of the pebbles he was fiddling with at her, “Me, silly…”

“What?” Kiran turned to him in surprise, astonished by this turn of events. “You want to move out of the Orders barracks? I thought people had fun there?”

“Well it was good at first, you get your own room, and there’s always someone to talk to, or something to do.” Ranulf explained, “But between the random hallway duels and Oliver’s midnight garden yoga sessions, it’s getting to be a bit tiresome, and don’t get me started with who lives above me. I hear everything, and I mean _everything_!” he cringed, as he reminisced about his nights in the barracks. “I wouldn’t mind a little change.”

“And you want to work on the renovations too?” Kiran asked, the offer was tempting, but she didn’t want him doing anything he wasn’t interested in. “What about all the work you’re helping me with the Order?”

Ranulf laughed, “As much as I _love_ listening to you and Soren argue over tactics and handpicking heroes,” he told her sarcastically, “I really need to get out of the castle and do something, I’m going stir crazy, Kiran!” he tossed another rock into the garden, in frustration “Besides If I can’t fight on the battle field yet, then I can at least do this, and I have a few ideas on how to really make this place great!” He explained, looking back at the townhouse and smiling. “Whatta ya say, roommate?”

“Yeah,” Kiran smiled, and nodded her head in agreement. _This actually could be fun_ , she thought to herself, “Okay then,” she announced, slapping her knees and standing up. “Let’s find Anna and let her know,” She laughed and offered her hand to help him up. “she’s going to hate this!”

Taking her hand, he allowed her to pull him up. “Just promise me one thing.” Ranulf said her, the tone in his voice turning serious.

“Yeah, of course!” Kiran told him, she was willing to do anything to make this work, “What is it?”

“You’re in charge of taking care of any rodents that get in.” Ranulf told her, pushing the screeching gate open for them.

“It’s a deal!” Kiran smiled, and turned back to take another look, as the gate wined, and clunked closed. The sky was streaked pink and orange as the sun set behind it, and Kiran was starting to see the potential in this run-down little townhouse.

“Ready to go home?” Ranulf asked, turning back to see what the holdup was.

Kiran smiled, “We’re already there.” She said to herself before jogging up to join him.

End.


End file.
